WASHINGTON, Pa. (Nov. 17, 2023) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy football team lost to Washington & Jefferson, 46-21, on Saturday in the 2023 ECAC James Lynah Bowl. In defeat, the Mariners end the season with a 7-3 overall record, while the Presidents improved to 9-2.
 
Game Link

• Box Score 

The Mariners held two leads in the first half. They opened the scoring in the game midway through the opening quarter, when freshman Zatyk Holub (Mount Vernon, Iowa) blocked a W&J punt and senior Cole Simmons (Montrose, Colo.) scooped up the loose ball and brought it to the house. The PAT by senior Zac Steiner (Kittanning, Pa.) made it 7-0.
 
The Presidents found the end zone on back-to-back drives late in the first quarter and then quickly again early in the second after forcing a three-and-out. After their second TD, sophomore Caleb Green (Flower Mound, Texas) blocked the PAT and it was nearly returned for two, but the Mariners were stopped deep in Wash & Jeff territory.
 
On the Mariners' ensuing drive, they racked up 76 yards on 17 plays and senior QB Ben Carney (El Paso, Texas) capped it off by connecting with junior Talsen Smith (Roseville, Calif.) for a 19-yard TD. Steiner's PAT put USMMA ahead 14-13 at 6:52.
 
The Presidents were able to score on three-straight drives to end the half, however, and took a 32-14 lead into the break.
 
That momentum shift proved to be the difference in the game, as the Mariners were only able to score one more time in the fourth quarter on another Carney-Smith connection, this time from 10 yards out.
 
Carney finished the game 6-of-14 passing for 83 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Smith caught four passes for 48 yards. On the ground, senior Ceaser Gonzalez (Norco, Calif.) amassed a team-high 66 yards with Simmons right behind him with 63 yards.
 
Defensively, senior Teddy Brunger (Indialantic, Fla.) and junior C.J. Livesay (Morristown, Tenn.) both finished with a team-best eight tackles apiece, with Livesay recording 4.5 tackles for losses. Junior Chad Hollar (Wilmington, N.C.) had six stops and registered his team-leading third interception of the season.
 
For Wash & Jeff, junior quarterback Jacob Pugh tossed six touchdowns, finishing with 232 passing yards on 16-of-23 completions. Sophomore Jacob Macosko caught four of the touchdowns, as he amassed 88 receiving yards. Junior Owen Petrisek carried the ball 11 times for 100 yards. Senior linebacker Justin Johns led all players in the game with 23 tackles.
 
Receive USMMA Football News Right To Your E-Mail!
If you would like to receive all the latest news on the USMMA football team, including all press releases, delivered directly to your inbox, fill out this form.
 
Follow USMMA Athletics On Social Media!
Be sure to follow USMMA Athletics on social media to get up-to-the-minute updates on your favorite teams! Start following today on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!